


Beautiful

by cotharsis



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Photographer, M/M, changki, changki rise, kikyun, minor hyungkyun, model!changkyun, model!hyungwon, photographer!Kihyun, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 20:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11767515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cotharsis/pseuds/cotharsis
Summary: we met again in spring.[ discontinued? sorry ;; ]





	Beautiful

It was spring.

Changkyun walked towards the bus stop, his nose buried in a thick book. It probably wasn't the wisest choice to be reading and have headphones plugged in, blasting music, while walking on a busy street, but he didn't want to hear the rowdy chatter of people bustling around him. He brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, mentally reminding himself that he needed a haircut. His scruffy black hair was growing out of control. 

He was just finishing the last page of the chapter when he suddenly ran into a slender shoulder. He let out a breathy ‘oof’ before stepping back, bringing his headphones down with an apology on his lips.

A girl with a face full of heavy makeup looked up at him through her frighteningly long fake eyelashes, a tall, fit male standing possessively close to her. Changkyun almost gagged before he controlled his expression and opened his mouth to say sorry. 

“Watch it, scumbag. Don't touch my girl.” The male growled, tightening his hold around the girl’s waist. 

Changkyun blinked, speechless. How rude. 

Before he could say anything, the couple had already begun to walk past him. Annoyance rose up in Changkyun. 

“I wasn't aiming for your plastic girlfriend, asshole.” Changkyun muttered under his breath. 

Unfortunately for him, the man heard him. 

“What did you say?!” The man whirled around, arms extended to push him. 

Changkyun fell back on his behind, wincing at the impact against concrete. 

“I better not ever see your face again, ugly!”

Changkyun frowned, slightly hurt. He got up slowly, dusting off his pants and mumbling under his breath. “Douche. Who even acts like that these days? Rude.”

He looked at the ground around himself, wondering where he dropped his book. 

“Looking for this?” A voice sounded next to him. Changkyun turned around, his eyes falling on his book being held out to him. His eyes slowly climbed up to land on the owner of the hand.

Beautiful. 

“Thanks.” The pink haired boy chuckled. 

Changkyun blinked, then blushed when he realized he had spoken out loud. He took the book gingerly from the boy’s outstretched hand. “Sorry, I meant to say thanks… I didn't—”

“It's okay.” The boy laughed. “You are too, you know? You're not ugly at all.” He said straightforwardly. 

Changkyun raised an eyebrow, a little weirded out. He looked behind him and then back at the boy. “Oh, you saw all that?” He ignored the comment, deciding it was a white lie. 

The boy seemed to read his mind. He smiled. “I mean it.”

Changkyun blinked several times before saying, “look, thanks for picking up my book for me but I don't know you? So this is getting a little weird. Do people usually insist that strangers they've just met are beautiful?”

“I was only returning a compliment,” the boy’s eyes twinkled. “And we’re not strangers, we’re classmates. I see you around campus quite often.”

Changkyun was beyond confused. “Oh. Really?”

“Yup.” The boy grinned. “It's been a pleasure talking to you but you should hurry if you don't want to be late for your bus.”

“Huh?” Changkyun glanced at his phone, eyes widening at the time. He ran off, tossing a thank you over his shoulder at the pink haired boy. 

-

“I can't believe this. You really do go to the same uni as me.”

Pink hair had detached from his group of friends to greet Changkyun, who was sitting in his usual area under the giant oak tree. 

“Of course!” Pink hair laughed. Changkyun belatedly realized the boy had dimples high on his cheeks that showed when he smiled. “You thought I was lying?”

“I mean, it is a bit ridiculous to not notice a schoolmate who has pink hair?”

“Oh, I just dyed it,” pink hair explained. 

Changkyun nodded slowly, wondering why he didn't remember such a face, regardless of the hair color. 

“Although, to be fair, I transferred just last month, and you do seem to always be in a separate world of your own.”

Changkyun tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You don't really focus on what's actually around you, it's like you're always in your head somewhere.” 

Changkyun blinked. “That's quite observant for someone that just transferred here.”

Pink hair smiled. “I am observant. Plus I seem to catch you in my lens quite often.”

Changkyun furrowed his eyebrows. “Lens?”

The bell rung as pink hair was about to answer. 

“Ah, I'll explain some other time. My name is Kihyun, by the way!” And then he was jogging off to catch up with his friends. 

Kihyun, huh? What a bright person, in all aspects of the word. 

Changkyun scratched his head. He wasn't a very social person, and talking this much to such an eccentric person made him very, very bewildered. 

-

“Hey ugly!”

Changkyun tensed at the annoyingly familiar voice.

“What do you want, Hyungwon.”

Hyungwon and his small group of asshole model friends sauntered towards him. 

“What do I want? You should know by now right? I want you to get us lunch again. The usual.”

Changkyun frowned. “Get your own lunch.”

Hyungwon rolled his eyes. “Just do it. Unless you want me to post all those pictures of when your acne scars weren't just scars.”

“Blackmailing isn't very nice, Hyungwon.”

Changkyun jumped almost a foot into the air. Pin—Kihyun had walked up right behind him and he didn't even notice. 

Hyungwon’s eyes widened. “You…”

Kihyun smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. “Oh look, Changkyun. Another person who didn't realize I was at their school!”

Changkyun blinked rapidly. Hyungwon looked like he'd seen a ghost. It would have been funny, but Changkyun was too busy wondering if they knew each other from somewhere else. 

“I suggest you leave Changkyun alone from now on, unless you plan to treat him nicely.”

Hyungwon cleared his throat, glancing at Changkyun. 

“I do treat Kyun nicely, what are you talking about?”

The smile dropped from Kihyun’s face. “Stop bothering him, or I'll get you fired.”

Changkyun shivered at the sudden serious tone. Hyungwon pursed his big lips and turned on his heel, his clique following close behind. 

Suddenly Kihyun’s words reached his brain. “You can get him fired? From his modeling job? How?”

Kihyun turned to Changkyun, his smile back on. 

“Yup. I work at the same company.”

Changkyun raised his eyebrows. “You're a model? Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised.”

Kihyun let out a laugh. “Thanks, but I'm not a model. I'm a photographer.”

Changkyun blinked, his mind scrambling to piece things together. “Oh.”

“Are you okay, by the way?”

“Huh?”

Kihyun gave him a weird look. “He obviously wasn't being nice to you. He called you ugly and threatened you.” 

Changkyun started walking again. “Oh, that. I'm used to it. It was nice of you to chase him away—thanks, by the way—but it doesn't really bother me.”

“Yes, it does.”

Changkyun glanced at Kihyun and raised his eyebrow. “No, it doesn't?”

“You act like it doesn't bother you and that you don't care, but I can tell you do.” Kihyun looked vaguely upset. “No one takes lightly to being called ugly as their nickname.”

Changkyun didn't reply. 

Kihyun sighed, changing the subject. “I'm not sure if I should be surprised that Hyungwon still bullies you like the little kid he is.”

Changkyun stopped in his tracks and stared at him. “Still? What do you mean.” He paused, mind racing. “Wait, how do you even know my name? I never told you.”

Kihyun stared back, and blinked. “Oh man. You really don't remember?”

Changkyun was starting to feel annoyed. Whenever Kihyun was speaking, it felt like Changkyun was always one step behind in understanding what he was saying. 

“Obviously not?” 

Kihyun sighed and grabbed his wrist, pulling him to a bench in the shade and sitting down. Changkyun sat besides him, bewildered. 

“I used to live on the same street as you and Hyungwon, all the way up to 4th grade. You weren't sociable even back then and the only person that really talked to you was Hyungwon, but he was always bullying you since he didn't know how else to communicate with you. Now I guess it's just a habit for him to treat you this way. I'm sorry I never tried stopping him back then, but I tended to watch people rather than interact with them.”

Changkyun’s mind blanked. “How did I not remember you?”

Kihyun let out a long suffering sigh. “Do you remember anyone from our primary school? I don't think so. The only reason you remember Hyungwon is because he bothered you all the time. That plus he went to all the same schools as you. I guess you could say he's looking out for you, but he's not exactly going about it in a nice way.”

Changkyun scowled. “What? Why would he.”

Kihyun rolled his eyes. “He likes you.”

“Huh?” Changkyun's head exploded. “That’s stupid, no he doesn’t.”

Kihyun gave him the look and shrugged. “Anyway, I have work soon so I should go before I'm late. Give me your phone so I can put my number in.”

Changkyun numbly took out his phone and gave it to Kihyun. 

“How do I know you're not just making this all up…?”

Kihyun glanced up from his phone and smiled. “I can show you my older photos next time.”

**Author's Note:**

> sorry. this is such a mess. pretty sure it went from 0-100 within the first two paragraphs i have no idea what i'm doing ha.


End file.
